This series of learning modules is designed for adaptation in an introductory Earth science or planetary science course. The modules actively engage students through Mars remote-sensing data and Earth-based analogs to understanding Mars geology....(View More) Interviews with planetary scientists and geologists present current issues in planetary sciences.(View Less)

This activity demonstrates optical properties of water: that different constituents in water affect the transmission, absorption, and scattering of different colors in the visible light spectrum. Inexpensive, off-the-shelf components are used to...(View More) build a light sensor and source, creating a simple spectrophotometer that can measure light absorption. In the second part of this activity, principles of ocean color remote sensing are applied to measure reflectance. Using components that are clearly visible allows students to configure them in different ways. Playing with the instrument design gives students a practical understanding of spectrophotometers, in-water optics, and remote sensing. As an extension of this concept, students are encouraged to think about how ocean color is used to estimate the concentration of chlorophyll to infer phytoplankton abundance, colored dissolved organic matter, and suspended sediments.(View Less)

Small groups of students form imaginary travel agencies and use Hubble images to plan the "trip of a lifetime" to ten celestial destinations. The activity acquaints students with the repository of Hubble images and encourages them to think about...(View More) what it would be like to visit the celestial objects. The students must provide a scientific as well as a “tourist” justification for each sight. Includes instructor notes, worksheets and sample answers.(View Less)

This set of physics-based labs uses data from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft. Students create movies using near-real-time data, explore the connection between solar activity and space weather, use different types of data to generate...(View More) and test hypotheses, and collaborate with other students to explore further. Students present their results in a scientifically-appropriate manner.(View Less)

The Cosmic Times Gallery Walk and Cosmic Times Jigsaw lessons serve as extensions to the Cosmic Times suite of curriculum support materials. They are intended to provide an introduction to Cosmic Times as a whole, giving students the larger picture...(View More) of how our understanding of the universe has changed over the last century. During the Gallery Walk lesson, students peruse the Cosmic Times posters to answer open-ended questions. During the Jigsaw lesson, students work in cooperative teams to understand the primary scientific advances over the past century that have contributed to our current understanding of the universe.(View Less)

This is the second in a series of three professional development videos that correspond to lessons taught by Andrew Cloud, an Earth and planetary sciences teacher, with a class of 9th and 10th grade students. In this lesson, Andrew asks students to...(View More) participate in an activity that illustrates the phases of the Moon. He asks one student to represent the Earth and another student, the Moon. The student representing the Moon makes one complete rotation or one full spin on their axis while standing in one spot. Andrew guides students to see that the Moon makes a full rotation in the same amount of time it takes to revolve around the Earth one time. The demonstration is followed up by a hands-on lab where students draw the placement of the moon in revolution and rotation. Includes teaching tips and discussion questions.(View Less)

This is the first in a series of three professional development videos that correspond to lessons taught by Andrew Cloud, an Earth and planetary sciences teacher, with a class of 9th and 10th grade students. In this lesson, he uses a NASA video to...(View More) introduce the origins of the Moon. He then brings the Common Core State Standards into his science classroom by asking students to read an informational text about the origin of the moon and to write down the main idea of each paragraph. Includes teaching tips and discussion questions.(View Less)

This is the third in a series of three professional development videos that correspond to lessons taught by Andrew Cloud, an Earth and planetary sciences teacher, with a class of 9th and 10th grade students. In this lesson, Andrew introduces the...(View More) concept of eclipses. He asks for student volunteers to represent the Sun (holding a flashlight), the Earth, and the Moon. He then asks the class to think about the order in which the volunteers should be assembled to create the conditions for a lunar eclipse to occur. The demonstration was reinforced by the use of the "Lunar Eclipse Essentials" video. In a final activity, students drew diagrams to illustrate a Lunar Eclipse and a Solar Eclipse. Includes teaching tips and discussion questions.(View Less)

This is an activity about solar rotation and sunspot motion. Learners will use a sphere or ball to model the Sun and compare the observed lateral motion of sunspots to their line-of-sight motion. This is Activity 1 of the Space Weather Forecast...(View More) curriculum.(View Less)

This is an activity about how the Sun can affect the Earth's atmosphere, specifically the ionosphere. Learners will use real data from a Sudden Ionosphere Disturbance Monitor, or SID Monitor, to identify the signatures in the graphed data that can...(View More) be used to determine the times of sunrise and sunset. Although the SID monitors are designed to detect SIDs caused by solar flares, they also detect the normal influence of solar X-rays and UV light during the day as well as cosmic rays at nighttime. There is a distinct shape to a 24-hour SID data graph, with unique shapes, or signatures, of the graph appearing at sunrise and sunset.This activity is part of the Research with Space Weather Monitor Data educators guide. Use of and access to a Stanford Solar Center SID monitor and the internet is encouraged but not required. Locations without a SID monitor can use sample data provided in the educators guide.(View Less)